Questionable Associations, Part One
by NilesDaughter
Summary: When Tiana moves to Ikebukuro, she's simply excited to be finally living in Japan. But as she grows accustomed to the city, she finds herself getting tangled up with its infamous inhabitants, and half-wishing she had stayed put in the States. Now a collaboration piece with Bax Embre and Hikari1901.
1. Welcome to Ikebukuro

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Durarara!'.**

**Author's Note: This is more for the heck of it; I imagine that if my friends and I were in the DRRR universe, things would become rather interesting. I do have actual stories planned, but this is something I want to try writing. Also, thanks to Bax Embre for the title!**

**Warning: This is a self-insert. If you don't like, then don't read.**

* * *

It was a rather normal day in terms of weather—the sun was out, and it wasn't too hot or too cold. Nevertheless, I slipped a black hoodie on over my clothes as I set out to explore the city. I was still rather excited to have moved to Tokyo, but those first few weeks would be dedicated to unpacking and getting accustomed to the large metropolis. Armed with my purse, which held my wallet and a map, I left my new apartment.

Some might have thought it would have been better to have moved to one of the more popular districts, like Shibuya or Shinjuku, but I was perfectly content with living in Ikebukuro. As I made my way towards West Gate Park, my phone vibrated.

Sighing, I pulled the device out of my skirt pocket and checked the screen. Just as I thought, it was another text to add to the barrage that I had already received from my friends.

**MORGAN**  
11:35 a.m.  
_hey, tell me about it! pleasepleasepleaseplease! :3_

I rolled my eyes. _Honestly, Bax…_But another soon joined hers.

**AMIE**  
11:37 a.m.  
_u need to call us! how awsum is it?_

I sighed. I was already missing them, but they had also been pestering me. A LOT. That's what happened when I moved to Japan without them… I quickly sent them both a reply.

**TIANA**  
11:40 a.m.  
_I'll call later. Or send a really long e-mail. But chill! I just got here yesterday!_

Hopefully, that would keep them off my case for a bit. I doubted it, though. I resumed my walk, still heading for the park. I wandered about, enjoying the scenery, before stopping in front of a fountain and watching the water.

"Well, what's a beautiful foreign flower like you doing here?"

Blinking, I looked around. The speaker was a high school boy, about a few inches shorter than me, with bleached hair and a white hoodie poking out of his blazer. Slightly behind him stood an embarrassed-looking, black-haired student with the same uniform.

"Do you need help learning Japanese? Maybe I could help you with that~"

"K-Kida-kun…!"

Smirking slightly in amusement, I replied in rather fluent Japanese, "I think I'm a bit too old for you to be flirting with me."

His face fell, before he became rather melodramatic. "Can love be fettered by the bonds of age?" he moaned, raising a hand to the sky. "What a sad day when we cannot express freely the true emotions of the heart…" He pounded his heart with his fist.

His companion shook his head, looking at me with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry…Kida-kun's a bit weird…"

"That's just cruel, Mikado!"

I smiled. "It's fine…" I looked at the blond. "You actually remind me of one of my friends…I'm used to it."

"Oh, really~?" He grinned. "Maybe you could introduce me~~?"

"I would, but she's in the States."

His face fell. "Oh…"

I laughed. "So, I take it you go to Raira? That's the only school in this district…"

"Yes! I'm Kida Masaomi!"

"A-and I'm Ryugamine Mikado…"

"Mustang Tiana." I nodded.

"S-so, Mustang-san…I-if you have any questions, I-I could probably help…I-I moved here a while ago, and I know how hard it is to get used to it…" Mikado trailed off nervously.

I smiled, finding that I was warming up to the high-schooler; he reminded me of myself. My phone suddenly vibrated again. I sighed slightly and checked the text.

**MORGAN**  
12: 06 p.m.  
_BUT I'M BOOOOOOORED, TIA-CHAAAN! meet any hot boys yet? :3_

**TIANA**  
12:08 p.m.  
i_f you count two high schoolers as "hot boys"…_

**MORGAN**  
12:09 p.m.  
_Well I didn't say "hot men" XD_

"Oh, Ra…" I muttered under my breath.

Masaomi raised a brow, looking at me.

"It's nothing, really…Just one of my friends…"

"Mikado gives me that look a lot. Is this the friend that reminds you of me~?"

I glanced up at him with a slight grin. "Yeah, actually." I glanced back down at my phone to reply to Morgan's text.

**TIANA**  
12:18 p.m.  
_*facepalm* I'm not going after younger men!_

**MORGAN**  
12:19 p.m.  
_:P A girl can dream…_

**TIANA**  
12:21 p.m.  
…_What sort of dreams are YOU having?_

**MORGAN**  
12:22 p.m.  
_:3 Do you REALLY want to know?~_

**TIANA**  
12:23 p.m.  
_definitely not_

**MORGAN**  
12:24 p.m.  
_lol kk but seriously…pick out some hot men for me ;3_

I rolled my eyes.

**TIANA**  
12:26 p.m._  
this is the kind of stuff I expect from Amie…seriously…_

**MORGAN**  
12:29 p.m.  
_Well, I have my reasons.~_

**TIANA**  
12:31 p.m.  
…_That took a little longer than normal…_

**MORGAN**  
12:32 p.m.  
_I don't know what you mean~_

I sighed and pocketed my phone.

Out of nowhere, Masaomi groaned. "Oh, shit…" He glanced at me before pulling me out of the way.

Before I could ask him why he did it, my question was answered as a large vending machine flew overhead, nearly hitting a thin, raven-haired man with a fur-trimmed hoodie. My eyes widened considerably, and I glanced around wildly.

"How many times do I have to tell you stay out of Ikebukuro, huh, Izaya-kun!" The speaker was another male with bleached hair, but he was considerably taller, and older-looking, than Masaomi. He wore a bartender's uniform, and was glaring daggers at the other man from behind his blue-lensed sunglasses.

The other man laughed. "Well, I keep telling you there's a reason that I come to this city, Shizu-chan~ Work, you know~? Plus, it's too much fun here~" He danced closer to where I stood beside Masaomi and Mikado.

The bartender ground his teeth and reached for the nearest lamppost, ripping it clean out of the ground.

My eyes grew wide again. _Holy shit!_

He prepared to throw the lamppost in the direction of the raven, but then I felt someone grab my shoulders, and I was in the line of fire.

_Crap!_

But since I was in the way, he lowered the lamppost with a slight softening of his expression, though he still glowered at a point behind me.

I heard a slight chuckle, and twisted my head to see that the raven was using me as a shield. "Of course…Ever the gentleman, I see~ You can't hit a woman, can you, Shizu-chan~?"

"Orihara-san!" Masaomi's voice was almost harsh-sounding. "Let her go!"

"Oh, but if I do that, Kida-kun, then Shizu-chan will hit me~"

"Well, you deserve it!"

"So cruel…" He sighed dramatically. "Well, I suppose my time's up here…" He ran off, but decided to drag me with him.

"W-wait…!" I squeaked, trying to pull my hand out of his.

However, he persisted, pulling me through the park, and then through several alleyways; it would take me hours to figure out where I was. Once he finally stopped, I was doubled over, panting, while he hardly seemed winded.

Once I finally caught my breath, I straightened up and glared at him. "What was that for!"

"Well, I had to make sure Shizu-chan wouldn't come after me again~"

I sighed in disgust.

"So, you're obviously new here~ I don't recognize you, and you're clearly not Japanese with that skin tone of yours~" He brushed his long, pale fingers against my cheek, as if to prove his point.

I smacked his hand away, taking a few steps back. "No, I'm not. I just moved here yesterday from the States."

His eyes flashed with interest. "Really?"

"Yes, really…"

"And your name?"

My eyes narrowed slightly. "Why…?"

"Well, it's polite, isn't it? Sharing names when you first meet someone?"

"I don't recall you giving me yours…"

"Oh, you're right~! How terribly rude of me. I'm Orihara Izaya, at your service~"

"…Mustang Tiana…"

"What an unusual name…Sounds Russian."

"It's a variation of it, yeah."

"Well, then, Tia-chan, I thank you for helping me out back there~"

I made a slight face. Only Morgan called me that…And it was a bit creepy hearing it come from a man I had only just met. "…You're welcome…"

"Oh, there's no need to be like that. I'm not bad."

I looked at him with one eyebrow slightly quirked. He was giving off bad vibes, and that usually made me wary of anyone. "Sure…"

"What's the matter? Don't trust me?"

"Not particularly."

He held a hand over his heart, a wounded expression on his face. Great. The more I talked to him, the more he also reminded me of Morgan…"That's so cruel, Tia-chan~!"

I shrugged. I really wanted to get away from him…

He sighed. "Oh, well. There's plenty of time for you to get to know me~ So, until then…" He swooped in and kissed me full on the lips; I squeaked, eyes widening. He was laughing when he pulled away. "I'll see you around, Tia-chan~!" he called as he ran off.

I stared after him, too stunned to move or speak. I was beginning to regret my decision to move to Ikebukuro instead of one of the other districts.


	2. It Keeps Getting Better and Better

**Disclaimer: I don't own Durarara!.**

* * *

Once I finally started moving again after Izaya had run off, I was cursing the fact that I was lost, in the back alleys of Tokyo, no less. I headed for the main street I saw at the end of the alley, and, once I stepped out among the throngs of people, I looked around to try and get a sense of my surroundings. Frowning, I pulled the map out of my purse.

"Okay…Where the heck am I…?" I glanced between the paper and my surroundings repeatedly, trying to make sense of my location. I started following the sidewalk, seeing if I could locate any landmarks. Gradually, I found myself outside of the Sunshine 60, and I sighed slightly in relief. "Good…"

I then glanced around; If I was in Sunshine City, anyway, I might as well see if I could find an anime store…Once I found one, I was like a kid in a candy store, and became rather easily distracted by everything I saw—I wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

As I wandered around, I spotted some copies of Kuroshitsuji…the latest volume. I squealed ever-so-slightly and went over to the shelf. As I picked up a copy, I heard a voice.

"Oh, it's finally out!"

I glanced over to see a group of four people; the one that had spoken was the only girl among them, a black newsboy cap over her brown hair.

"Hey! You're into Kuroshitsuji, too?"

I nodded. "And a lot of others…"

"Awesome!" the blonde commented, joining the girl's side.

"And you're not from around here, either. That's pretty cool," she added.

I shrugged, a bit shyly. "Well, otaku aren't only in Japan…"

"So, you're, what, American?" the blonde asked.

"By legal standards."

"What's your name?"

"Um…Mustang Tiana…"

The two looked at each other for a moment; I noted that the other two males hadn't spoken yet.

"Do you think it's a penname?"

"Maybe it's a stage name? Like an actress!"

"Or a seiyuu!"

I smiled slightly, embarrassed now. "No…It's my real name…"

They both stared at me.

"Really?"

"Oh, you've got such a cool name! Just like Ryugamine-kun!"

I chuckled a bit nervously. "Thanks…"

"Okay, knock it off, you two." Finally, the one wearing the beanie spoke up. "I think you're freaking her out."

"Aw, but Dotachin…!" the girl whined.

He twitched slightly. "Don't call me that!"

"What's wrong with it?"

He frowned. "You know why…"

"Aw…"

The guy with the beanie rolled his eyes and glanced at me. "Sorry about them."

"It's okay. I'm used to craziness."

He stared at me, and then nodded in an understanding sort of way. "I'm Kadota Kyohei. These two lunatics are Karisawa Erika and Yumasaki Walker. The guy behind us is Togusa Saburo."

"Yo," Saburo said with a nod of his head.

"Hi…" I smiled slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"So," Erika started, turning to me again. "What else do you read?"

"A lot, actually…Fullmetal Alchemist, Naruto, Chobits, just to name a few of them."

"Cool!"

I smiled again.

"Maybe we'll see you around, Mustang-chan!"

"Yeah, that's be nice," I replied, a bit surprised that they were already using the 'chan' honorific.

They went off to another aisle of the store. I went to pay for the book and left the area, going back to wandering along the sidewalks, becoming a little nervous as the sky darkened…

"Hey, long time, no see."

I was rather thrown off by the Russian accent, almost to the point that I could have sworn that I gave myself whiplash looking for the source of it. The speaker was a rather tall black man in a sushi chef outfit; I didn't know him.

"Um…"

"Here, you eat Russia sushi! Is always fresh!" As he spoke, he handed me a flyer from the stack in his hands.

"Th-thank you…" I murmured politely, a little too confused to do much else.

He smiled widely and continued to pass out the flyers. I glanced at the building behind him, noticing it was a sushi restaurant topped by a Russian-style dome.

_That's kind of weird…_I thought, making my way back to West Gate Park, and, from there, to start heading home.

As I waited at a cross-walk, I heard a sound like the neighing of a horse, and I glanced around, once again more than a little confused. After a moment, a black motorcycle whizzed by, its rider all in black and with a yellow helmet. I watched its progress with fascination; for whatever reason, seeing that particular bike seemed to make my day a bit better.

* * *

When I finally arrived back at my apartment, the door was unlocked when I turned the knob. I frowned, certain that I had locked it when I had left, and hurriedly went inside, almost positive that I was going to find that I had been robbed.

However, I soon found that there were simply a lot more boxes and bags than I had brought, as if someone were moving in with me.

"What the…?"

"Amie, stay out of the kitchen!"

"But I'm hungry!"

"You know how Tiana doesn't like it when her kitchen stuff is messed with."

I sigh-groaned. What were they doing in my apartment?


	3. Unexpected Roommates

**Disclaimer: I don't own Durarara!.**

* * *

Hanging up my purse on the coat rack I had set up, I sighed heavily and approached the living room area. I stood in the doorway, and found Morgan and Amie sitting on the couch, talking and laughing with each other.

"What are you two doing here?"

They looked up at me. Morgan's eyes lit up and she jumped up to glomp me.

"Tiaaaaaaa-chaaaaaaan, I missed you so much! I know it's only been a few days, but still!"

Once Morgan had calmed down and backed away, I was glomped by Amie. When she released me, I looked at the two them, crossing my arms across my chest.

"Alright, why are you two here?"

"You honestly thought you could move to _Japan_ without us?" Morgan gave me something of a skeptical look. "You should have learned by now that Amie-chan and I would never allow that." She grinned. "So, we're taking advantage of the extra rooms in your apartment and moving in with you!"

I sighed, rubbing my temples with my fingers. "I cannot believe you guys…"

"You love us," Morgan declared, grinning at me.

"…Too true, unfortunately for me," I replied, smiling a bit.

"Oh, it won't be that bad. Morgan and I can help you pay the rent, and then we'll all share our cooking…This will be fun, right?" Amie grinned as she plopped down on the couch.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay…I just wish you two had given me a bit of warning…"

They both laughed, and Morgan used her 'preppy' voice. "Honey, you know we don't work like that."

I snorted, rolling my eyes. "Yeah, I definitely would have missed this…Thanks for coming here."

"Of course, I'm brilliant~" Morgan declared. "I even already have a job!"

I blinked, and then became even more confused when Amie let out a fangirl giggle. "How did you manage that?"

Morgan gave me her signature 'it's-a-need-to-know-basis' smile.

I frowned. "I really want to know."

"Well, after we left the airport, Bax and I were checking out a few job bulletins." Amie giggled again. "And this really cute-looking guy came up to us."

I quirked a brow.

"More funny-looking," Morgan interjected. "He looked like an Eskimo…But I guess he was kind of cute."

"'Kind of'!" Amie stared at her in disbelief. "He was more than 'kind of' cute!"

"Well, like I've been saying, that hoodie of his was rather funny-looking."

"Wait a minute…Did he have black hair? Around my height?"

They both nodded.

"Have you already met him, Tia-chan?"

I groaned instead of answering.

"Uh-oh…Sounds like you don't like him too much," Amie looked a little crestfallen.

"He gave you a job offer…?" I looked at Morgan.

She nodded. "Yeah. As a personal assistant. Office work."

"You didn't accept it, did you?"

"Maaaaaybe…"

I groaned again. "Please…Just be careful, okay?"

"So, what happened when you met him?"

I gave them a semi-glare. "He kissed me."

Both of them gaped at me.

"He didn't ask you to date him, did he?" Amie asked, sounding a little frantic.

I rolled my eyes. "No, don't worry…He just did as a 'thank you'," I told them, adding air quotes for emphasis.

They exchanged a look that was a cross between victorious and challenging.

I rolled my eyes again. Great. Both of my friends were going to be fighting over Izaya's affections. That wasn't going to end well…

"So, is it safe to assume that you already claimed your rooms?" I asked them, hoping to change the subject.

"But of course! Don't underestimate us, Tia-chan!"

"Just making sure…I'll start on dinner. Any requests?"

"Onigiri!"

"Okay, okay…You two can work on unpacking your stuff, then." As I entered the kitchen, I couldn't help but think that living in Ikebukuro was going to be a lot crazier than I had expected.


	4. Through the Eyes of a Madwoman

**Disclaimer: I don't own Durarara!.**

**Author's Note: Hey'all! This is Bax Embre!~  
You see, **_**I **_**am Morgan, and so, we've decided to put in our points of view written by our own hand.  
BWAHAHA I SHALL DRAG YOU INTO MY co-MASTERPIECE!  
So yeah.  
Enjoy :3**

* * *

"No, Amie! The _rice_! RICE! Not _ice_!" I facepalmed. This. WOMAN.

"Oh, right…" Amie pulled out the leftover rice.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm pretty sure Tia wouldn't very much appreciate fried _ice_ for breakfast."

"Shut uuup…" Amie groaned, slumping into a kitchen chair. "I'm so tireeeeed!"

"What the hell is going on in here!"

I winced; if she were cursing, she wasn't pleased… "Ahhh~ Tia-chan~~~~" I looked at my wonderful—new—roommate, who had just entered the kitchen with disheveled hair and a not-so-happy expression. "…We woke you up, didn't we?"

"You _think_?" she snapped.

I winced again. "Yes, well, um…FRIED RICE!" I gestured enthusiastically at the sizzling pan on the stove.

She rolled her eyes at me and sat across from Amie. "You're partially forgiven."

I relaxed, much relieved.

Soon afterwards I served my _obviously_ delicious meal and turned to the door. I didn't eat breakfast often, so I didn't even bother making myself a plate. Too much to do.~

"Going somewhere?" Tiana's voice came from behind me.

I jumped and turned around. "Ah! Tia-chan, don't do that!"

She ignored my complaint. "Going to work already?"

I sighed. "Of course I am, Tia-chan…"

"Wow, he seems pretty needy."

"He's paying _your _rent, so no more complaining. Bye!~"

I danced out of the door before she could say anything else.

Truth be told, the only reason I had left so early was to give myself time to get lost.

I have this problem, you see. Not only can I not find my way out of a paper bag, I don't even know how I got there in the first place!

Considering Tokyo's size alone, I was right to give myself the extra hour. I tried five different places before I found myself at the correct building.

I breathed, and knocked.

The door swung open instantly, and the raven-haired man from the day before grinned at me, missing the hoodie I had made fun of…

Okay, so maybe Amie was right…Maybe he was kinda hot…

"Welcome, Liz-chan!~" he sang.

My face fell into a glare instantly. "_What_ did you just call me?"

"Liz-chan~" He grinned. "From you middle name, 'Elizaburuth.'."

I winced as he mispronounced in. He was Japanese, though, so I couldn't quite blame him.

"Why…Why didn't you use any of my other names?" I asked through grit teeth.

"Why, they're even _harder_ to say!" He pouted at me. "'Morugan'? 'Haruvey'? Tsk! So English!"

"Then call me 'Momo' or something!" I snapped. "Or 'Haruhi'! Anything _but_ 'Liz-chan'!"

He looked down at me, amused. "Sure thing, Liz-chan~"

I twitched. I _hated_ my middle name with a passion…It was so…so…_feminine_.

However, I didn't really want to get fired on my first day. I rubbed my brow. "FINE. Now, what's my first assignment?"

"Ah!" He hurried me inside, seeming please that I'd accepted the nickname. "Since you're just starting today, all you'll be doing is paperwork~" He brought me to a desk covered in stacks upon stacks of paper. "I want all of this sorted by _date_ by the end of today~"

I had to crane my neck to look at the largest stack, and I let out a low whistle. "Wow…Better get started…"

"Good luck~"

* * *

I hadn't really paid much attention to what I was sorting at first, until something caught my eye on one of the papers; it was the official government seal.

I frowned, looking at many of the other papers.

They were all police files, articles, and top secret reports…

…there was no _way_ having all of this was legal.

"Something wrong, Liz-chan?~" came a soft voice behind me, and I jumped.

"No! Nothing!"

My cell phone beeped at me, and I looked at it gratefully.

"Just time for my meds…"

"'Meds'?" he asked, moving back as I pulled a bottle or two from my pocket.

"For umm…asthma…" I lied, popping about three different pills.

"Ah…I see~" he said, stepping away to return to his desk by the window, leaving me alone. I got the feeling that he didn't believe my fib, but there was no way I was telling him about my 'quirks'…

…He would most definitely fire me then. They all did.

Then again, looking over all the top secret documents, I wasn't sure he would. There was something about this man that gave me the impression that he had a fondness for the strange…

* * *

"So, how was your day?" Tiana asked as I walked in the door.

I yawned and gave her one of my signature, crooked grins. "Long, and more interesting than you'd _ever_ believe…"

"Baaaax," she groaned, coming into the kitchen where I was now filling a glass of water. "You weren't doing anything illegal, were you?"

I didn't answer, frowning. I patted my pockets again.

_Where are my meds?_


	5. The Most Dangerous Men in Ikebukuro

**Disclaimer: I don't own Durarara!.**

**Author's Note: Hey, we're returning to my POV, so you'll have to wait a bit to see the significance to Morgan losing her pills.**

* * *

After Morgan left for work, I sighed, rubbing my temples with my fingertips again, before returning to the kitchen. Amie looked a little more awake than when I had first walked in that morning, but I could tell it was still too early for her.

"I'll take care of the dishes. You go ahead and head back to bed."

She simply nodded, still out of it, and stumbled away to her room.

I rolled my eyes a little bit and worked on cleaning up. Once I finished, I went to my room to get dressed before heading out to explore again. Since the day was still young, light actually filling the streets, I allowed myself to wander around the less-known areas of Ikebukuro. I found a few businesses and restaurants that looked promising to look at on a different day.

Gradually, I found myself going back to West Gate Park, to the spot where I had first met Masaomi, Mikado, Izaya, and the blonde that I realized I hadn't been able to learn the name for. The vending machine he had thrown at Izaya was still there, as well as the lamppost, laying in the grass beside its base.

"So, that really happened…" I murmured to myself, wide-eyed all over again.

The scent of cigarette smoke wafted towards me, and I jumped slightly when I heard a deep voice.

"Hey, you're the girl that was here yesterday, right?"

I turned around to find myself looking up at the bartender from the previous day. It felt like his eyes were boring into me from behind the blue lenses of his sunglasses…

"Um, yeah…"

He glanced back at the debris I had been looking at, and he frowned. "Sorry you had to see that…"

I found myself shaking my head. "It's okay…It was kind of cool…"

He grimaced.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, covering my mouth with a hand. "I didn't mean to upset you…"

His grimace turned into the faintest of smiles, and I let out a slight sigh of relief.

"So, you're new."

I nodded. "I moved here from the States. For work."

He nodded, but was frowning. "You seemed awfully familiar with the flea…"

I supposed he was referring to Izaya. After all, they clearly didn't like each other after what I had seen in the park that first day. I shook my head. "I've never met him before. I guess I was just convenient for him."

"Yeah, that bastard does that a lot…"

I was tempted to ask about their history, but I knew that would be prying, so I remained silent.

"I don't think I got your name…"

I smiled. "Mustang Tiana."

He nodded, his brow furrowed ever-so-slightly, as if he were trying to commit the name to memory.

"And yours?"

He seemed hesitant to tell me.

"Shizuo!"

He glanced back at the speaker, and I found myself smiling a bit as I realized I now knew his first name, at least. "Tom-san…"

"Come on. We still have work to do." The man was wearing a business suit, and was closer to my height and skin color, with black-framed glasses and dreadlocks.

Shizuo nodded, and glanced back at me as he stubbed out his cigarette. "I may see you around, Tiana-san…And, stay away from Izaya-kun, alright? He's dangerous…"

I nodded to acknowledge his comment, and watched the two men walk away, smiling slightly. Once they were out of sight, however, I frowned. I had gotten a feeling that Izaya was bad, but to actually receive a _warning_ about him from someone…I became worried about Morgan, but knew she'd just brush off my concern.

A low whistle sounded from close beside me. "Looks like Heiwajima-san actually likes you…"

I glanced over to see Masaomi, dressed in casual wear due to it being the weekend. Mikado wasn't with him. "Hello, Kida-kun."

"Hey, Mustang-san!" He gave me what could only be taken as a cheeky grin.

"So, what did you mean just now? About him actually liking me…?"

"Well, the man you were just talking to was Heiwajima Shizuo. He's considered to be the Fortissimo of Ikebukuro, and one of its most dangerous inhabitants. As you saw yesterday, he's got a short temper, and he doesn't warm up to people much…"

I nodded, getting the feeling that Shizuo was similar to me…Avoided out of fear of being associated with something different…

"And, he mentioned Orihara-san…"

Masaomi frowned. "If Heiwajima-san told you to stay away from him, then you better listen to him. Orihara-san is also among those considered to be one of the more dangerous people in Ikebukuro…"

"Okay…"

"Kida-kun! Sorry that I'm late!" Mikado came running up, panting a bit. "Oh, hello, Mustang-san…"

I smiled. "Hello. Well, I'll leave you two to your day off." I waved to the two boys and started heading off. My stomach growled, letting me know that it was lunchtime, but I was too preoccupied with my thoughts.

How had I managed to get tangled up with two men that were considered to Ikebukuro's most dangerous after only two days in the city?


	6. Misgivings and Confrontations

**Disclaimer: I don't own Durarara!.**

**Author's Note: I truly am bisexual, and that is why I mention Ni-Chome in this chapter. I do not need flamers and homophobes commenting on this.**

* * *

After the double warning about Izaya, I became anxious about Morgan, and was rather distracted all through the rest of the day as a result. Once Amie and I had eaten dinner, and she had called it a night, I still found myself waiting in the living room for Morgan. It was nearing midnight when she finally walked in the door.

"So, how was your day?" I asked as she did so, trying to sound calm.

She yawned, and then gave me one of her signature—and often infuriating—knowing smiles. "Long, and more interesting that you'd _ever_ believe…" She then turned to head to the kitchen.

"Baaaax," I groaned slightly and followed her, leaning against the doorframe as I watched her get a glass of water. "You weren't doing anything illegal, were you?"

She didn't answer me, a slight frown on her face as she patted her pockets.

I frowned, as well, approaching her. "Is something wrong…?"

"Of course not, Tia-chan~~~~" she replied, chugging her glass of water. "I'm really tired, so I'm going to head to bed, okay?" She didn't wait for me to answer before she went off to her room.

I sighed in frustration, and then decided to head to bed myself.

* * *

For the most part, all my things were unpacked by the middle of that week, so I allowed myself to head out again. I was feeling rather confident with the location of things in Ikebukuro, so I decided to branch out and try exploring a few other districts. Despite the fact it was still in the middle of the day—meaning the clubs wouldn't be open—I decided to check out Shinjuku's LGBT scene.

Once I got off the train, I followed my map to the Ni-Chome, which wasn't too far away from the station. As I had suspected, most of the establishments were bars, closed for the day. I did find a few other restaurants and businesses, however, even though I didn't check them out myself. Gradually, I found myself out of the general area, and began heading toward Shinjuku Gyoen.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise~"

I groaned and turned to find Izaya approaching me, his hands in his pockets and a grin plastered to his face.

"I wouldn't call it pleasant, Orhiara-san…" I muttered.

He simply ignored me. "I can say that I wasn't expecting you to be in my part of the city, Tia-chan~"

I grimaced, though I found myself becoming confused. If Shinjuku was 'his part of the city', then how was he considered to be one of the most dangerous men in _Ikebukuro_…? His grin spread as he took note of my confusion.

"I may live here, but almost all of my work is in Ikebukuro. It's a lot more fun there than any other district in this city."

"Does it have anything to do with Heiwajima-san?"

His grin became almost manic-looking. "Ah, so you've actually had a chance to speak to Shizu-chan, have you~?"

I gave him a hard look. "So?"

"Tch, there's no need to sound so angry with me. What have I ever done to you, Tia-chan~?"

My eyebrows lifted in disbelief. "So you've already forgotten what you did when I first met you?"

He chuckled. "Why? Had you been expecting something else? Something more?" He laughed again. "Oh, that's rather silly of you, Tia-chan~ You see, I don't allow myself to get attached to any one particular human. I'd much prefer to share my love with all of them, so that kiss wasn't anything special~ It didn't mean anything~"

"I know it didn't mean anything. That's what ticked me off about it."

He shrugged, as if he couldn't really be bothered by my complaint.

I sighed, and took a step forward, hoping to get away from him.

Izaya stepped in my way. "Why are you in such a hurry, Tia-chan~ Since you're here, I'll treat you to lunch~"

"And why would you do that?" I demanded, a bit harshly, and rather confused.

"Because you interest me~" He gave me something that I could only compare to one of Morgan's 'it's-so-obvious' looks, before heading over to a nearby izakaya.

Groaning slightly, having a feeling that I wouldn't be able to successfully back out of eating with him, I followed. Once the food arrived, I rested crossed arms on top of the table, glaring at him.

"What's this really about?"

"I don't know what you mean~" he told me with a smirk. "You may want to start eating, Tia-chan, so the food doesn't get cold~"

I continued to glare, but since he continued to ignore me, I sighed and picked up my chopsticks and poked at a piece of sashimi, gradually giving up on trying to talk to Izaya and started to eat. Once we had finished our meal, Izaya looked at me.

"I bet your wondering why Liz-chan isn't with me."

I blinked in confusion, until I realized that he was talking about Morgan, and that his nickname had come from her middle name. Though I felt guilty, I also realized that I hadn't taken note of her absence until he had brought it up.

"I suppose not, based on your expression~"

"Shut up," I snapped, back to glaring at him. "Why isn't she with you? I thought she was supposed to work as a personal assistant."

"Precisely~ Until she's proven her worth, she does things around the office. I, on the other hand, can come and go as I please due to my work."

"What is it exactly you do, then? Because I won't stand for Morgan getting caught up in anything illegal."

He laughed. "How cute~! You're so protective of others, Tia-chan~!"

My eyes narrowed. "Answer the question."

"Tch…Seems you can't take a joke, either…"

I allowed myself a slight smirk. "You haven't seen me with Morgan. Now, answer my question."

"Well, I don't think it's really any of your business, Tia-chan~ Liz-chan is allowed to do as she chooses, so it won't be my fault if she does get tangled up with illegal activities."

"Orihara-san…" I growled.

He smirked. "Very well~ If you really want to know what I do…" He paused before grinning at me, almost wickedly. "If being said in traditional Western fashion, your full name would be Christiana Lynn Mustang. Your birthday is April 22nd, 1990, thus making you twenty-one this year. You graduated from Coronado High School in 2008, and, rather than entering a college, you decided to study foreign language on your own time. You have recently joined a program that allows people to travel to a country of their choice and teach English to native students." He stopped, tilting his head as he continued to grin. "And there's a lot more I know about~"

I blinked. "So…you're a stalker for a living?"

"An informant~ But, I suppose that _is_ what I do~"

"Okay, now I really want you to keep Morgan out of your questionable business dealings."

He smirked, standing. "Well, you see, I don't have any control over that. And neither do you, Tia-chan~" He set money on the table, and then walked off. "It was nice talking with you~"

* * *

"Morgan, we need to talk about Izaya."

She groaned, as if she were exhausted. "I kinda don't want to right now…"

"You can't keep working for him! I don't want you getting involved in illegal stuff!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. So what if he's an informant?"

"Bax, you can't associate yourself with that sort of stuff. What if he gets caught? You'd be considered an accomplice!"

"Tia-chan, it's fine. I just stay in the office. I don't actually deal with his clients."

"Bax," I snapped, irritated that she wasn't listening to me.

"Stop worrying about me, okay? I won't be getting into too much trouble. I just file paperwork all day!"

I groaned. "Fine. Whatever."

"Thank you. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."

I watched her head for her room, frowning. Why did she have to be so damn stubborn!


	7. Deeper Into Darkness

**Disclaimer: I don't own Durarara!.**

* * *

As she had been the last few days, Morgan was already gone for work when I woke up, leaving behind food for me and Amie hot and ready on the stovetop. I was silent throughout breakfast, still rather annoyed with Morgan's apparent disregard for her own safety. When we had finished eating, I stood to do the dishes.

"Let me," Amie said, sounding somewhat exasperated.

I looked back at her, taking note of her sympathetic smile. I sighed and stepped back.

"She'll be okay."

"Yeah, I hope so…Otherwise, I'm going to have to give Orihara-san a piece of my mind…"

Amie laughed a bit, apparently over her depression that Morgan had gotten a job with him, and not her.

I smiled lightly. "Alright, well, I need to get ready for work…"

"Have fun."

* * *

I arrived at Raira Academy almost an hour before the first bell rang, and headed to the main office to get all my paperwork sorted. Once everything was settled, I was led to what would now be my classroom. Nodding my thanks to the teacher that had led me there, I began to organize my things on the desk, glancing over my schedule as I did so; I didn't have any homeroom students, which was only to be expected.

Once my first class started, and students filed in the door with murmured greetings, I wrote my name on the board in kanji, romanji, and English.

"Mustang-san?"

I turned to see both Mikado and Masaomi standing by my desk with a black-haired girl with round glasses framing her brown eyes.

"_Ohayo gozaimasu_," I replied with a smile.

"You're our new English teacher?" Masaomi seemed crestfallen, probably only for the fact that he had lost another person to flirt with.

I nodded. "Yes, I am. But don't expect it to be easy."

His expression changed, easily recognized as disbelief of the idea of homework.

I laughed a bit. "What did you expect, Kida-kun?"

He sighed dramatically. "Why does the universe hate me?"

"Oh, M-Mustang-san, this is our friend, Sonohara Anri."

She bowed respectfully with a murmured, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And you, Sonohara-chan. Alright, you three better take your seats. I'm going to be starting class soon." I smiled and turned back to the board to continue writing the day's lesson plan.

* * *

I stretched once the day was over, and I slung my messenger bag over my shoulder before leaving the campus.

"Get back here!"

I jumped when I heard Shizuo's voice, clearly enraged, and looked around for him, wondering if he was, for whatever reason, angry with me.

Instead, I was nearly bowled over by a wide-eyed man with disheveled hair and a rather rumpled-looking suit. He looked back towards where Shizuo's voice was coming from, and then at me. Looking desperate, he made a grab for my bag; since the strap was across my chest, it didn't budge. Rather than run off when he failed with his attempted robbery, he grabbed _me_ and held a knife to my neck.

I had a moment of panic, but, just as Shizuo turned the corner of the alleyway, I elbowed the man and twisted out of his grip, taking the arm that held the knife with me and pinning it behind his back. He squirmed, and I increased the pressure, which resulted in him becoming still.

"Tiana-san…"

Blowing a stray strand of hair out of my face, I looked up at Shizuo. "Is this one yours?"

He blinked a couple of times, as if amazed, and then nodded. "Yeah…" Once I handed the man over, Shizuo glared at him. "Thought you could run out on your debt, huh?"

The man simply whimpered.

"Shizuo!"

"I have him, Tom-san."

The same man that was with Shizuo the last time I had seen him came up, looking exasperated. His expression soon became surprised as he looked at the man Shizuo had been chasing. "Shizuo, you didn't…?"

"Because Tiana-san is the one that actually caught him."

He looked at me, and then nodded in thanks. "Here, I'll take him, Shizuo. This was the last job for today, so you can go ahead and head home."

Shizuo nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, Tom-san…"

Once Tom had left with the man Shizuo had been chasing, Shizuo looked at me. "Um…Could I get you an ice cream, or something? For helping us?"

"O-okay…" I stammered, feeling myself blush as I followed him.

He crossed the street, entering West Gate, and soon found an ice cream cart. He glanced at me as he pulled out his wallet.

"What flavor do you like?"

"Chocolate," I replied automatically.

He smiled slightly, nodding, and ordered two cones. Once we had them, he walked a little ways away, and sat at the edge of a fountain. I sat next to him, and he handed me one of the cones. I smiled and began eating it.

It was silent for a while before I looked up at Shizuo. "So…why were you chasing that guy?"

"He ran off when Tom-san and I went to collect his debt."

I nodded, finally understanding his job…but was still confused about his bartender outfit. "May I ask why you wear that all the time?"

He looked confused, and then glanced down at his clothes. His expression then softened, although it also seemed pained. "It was a gift from my little brother."

"You really love him, don't you?"

"I want to make him proud…" He sighed before glancing over at me, and laughed once. "Your ice cream is running away from you, Tiana-san."

"Huh?" I looked down at my cone, noticing that it was starting to melt, getting all over my hand. "Ack!" I started to lick it off, flushing as he started to chuckle.

Once I saved my ice cream, Shizuo lit a cigarette and gazed skyward. I watched him, actually taking full inventory of his appearance, and quickly reached the conclusion that he was rather good-looking…I blushed when I realized my thoughts, and looked away from him. After a long, silent pause, I chanced a glance at him again.

"I have to ask, Heiwajima-san…Why did you warn me about Orihara-san…?"

He frowned. "He's dangerous. I know he's getting tangled up with the yakuza…On top of that, he just fucking pisses me off. He does all sorts of stuff to annoy me, and he's been doing it ever since high school." He inhaled his cigarette rather violently, and seemed to force himself to exhale slowly.

"I'm sorry for asking…But, one of my friends is getting too close to him for my taste…"

He blinked at me. "You need to stop her. He's more trouble than he's worth."

"I figured…"

After a moment, he smiled at me. "I like talking to you, Tiana-san…"

I flushed.

Still smiling, he glanced around the park. Quite suddenly, however, his smile fell into a scowl. His hand twitched, and he stood up, trembling with rage. He glanced around and grabbed a traffic sign, ripping it out of the ground like I had seen him do with the lamppost my first day. "IZAAAAAYAAAAA-KUUUUUUN!"

Following his gaze, I saw Izaya standing not too far from us, smirking with his hands in his pockets. "Hey, Shizu-chan~"

"How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of Ikebukuro!" Shizuo threw the traffic sign at Izaya, but he easily dodged the projectile, running towards us.

I saw a flash of something, and then Shizuo stumbled back a step, his vest flying open as his buttons scattered across the ground while Izaya smirked. Shizuo glowered, towering over the raven, and glanced around for something else to throw.

"Ah, how nice to see you again, Tia-chan~!" He came close to me, and, once again, kissed me on the lips.

Squeaking, I pushed him away from me, and watched as he was actually knocked over by the trash can Shizuo had thrown. However, Izaya appeared unaffected as he simply stood up and brushed off his jacket, smirking at the Shizuo and me. After a brief moment, he turned and ran off, and Shizuo gave chase, leaving me at the fountain's edge.

* * *

Morgan was giggling at some of the most random things when I worked on cooking breakfast the next morning, and I was getting a bad feeling about it…I handed Amie a plate of food, glancing over at Morgan as I did so.

"Is she okay…?" I asked.

Amie shrugged. "Well, you know she got home early yesterday."

I nodded.

"And I didn't have to work yesterday, so I was home with her all afternoon…She's kind of been acting like this since yesterday…"

I frowned. "And she's been really tired a lot lately, too…"

Morgan headed for the door, and I followed her.

"Bax…Have you been taking your meds?"

She giggled again and grinned at me. "Oh, they've been missing for two weeks, Tia-chaaaaan~~~"

My eyes widened, but she simply walked out the door.

"Did she just say what I think she just said…?" Amie asked from behind me, her voice soft.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah…She hasn't been taking her meds for two weeks, now…"


	8. Madwoman's Joke

**Disclaimer: I don't own Durarara!.**

**Author's Note: Hey! This is Bax Embre again, with a very special insanity chapter! Oh, and did you see my lovurly cover art?~ Have fun!~**

* * *

I rolled my neck for the thirtieth time that morning, popping several vertebrae. My foot tapped on the floor, and I shifted to and fro. I had energy that needed to be spent, and my brain was not anywhere present. Oh, was that doorknob really was shiny… I hadn't noticed that before. So shiny…

The door swung inwards.

"Good morning, Liz-chan!~" Izaya sang. I twitched a bit. This man… this fluffy man was irking me with that name. I was so…. irked.

"The next time you call me that, your wastebasket goes up your ass~" I said softly, sliding in close to him and setting a finger on his chin. He blinked, looking surprised, and I moved past him to the desk, where my usual stack of papers was waiting.

"Well, hm, just sort them by date as usual, ne~" Izaya coughed a little, regaining his composure. He watched me for a minute longer, then headed to his desk.

I sat in my seat, and stared at the papers. Government, police, government, ooh look! A document from the CIA! They all went into their separate stacks. I knew by now that this was most definitely illegal, but you know, I really didn't care. Plus, every time Tiana told me to stop, it just made me want to do it more.

"Tsk…" I frowned, setting down my papers. I loved Tiana, yes, but she'd been getting annoying as of late. All this, 'you could get in trouble!' talk was starting to piss me off. Maybe I should do something really illegal to get back at her. I stared up at the ceiling, ideas rolling through my mind, each one more serious than the last. I couldn't help it; I started giggling. The giggles soon progressed to a chortle, then to a loud, manic laugh. Soon, my head was thrown back, and I was practically screaming with laughter.

Izaya looked up from his work, brows raised. "Is something amusing you, Li—erm, miss Haruhi-san?~"

I snapped my head back to look at him, my eyes as wide as my grin. "Nothing, Zay-chan~" my voice said, almost mocking his.

"If you say so~…" He looked back at his computer, with something of a smirk on his face. That smirk killed my mood again, and I turned back to my work, fuming.

I picked out the dates a lot faster than I usually did, and I was done before noon. I sat back, satisfied with my work.

"Oh, you're already finished?~" Izaya had come over, and was pulling on his jacket, "Good work!~ You can take the rest of the day off. I have an informant to meet. Bye-bye!~"

He left the apartment. I smiled a bit; well, why the heck not? I grabbed all of my things and followed him. I caught sight of him just as I walked from the apartment, and I began to tail him. I stayed far enough back that he wouldn't notice me. Thank goodness I was short, or my ginger hair would have stuck out like a red flag. He weaved in and out of the crowd, heading towards the train station. I hummed a bit, taking a guess at where he was headed, and flagged down a taxi instead. "Ikkebukuro station, please," I told the driver, passing him money, "Extra if you get there fast."

Once I arrived I waited behind a column, staring at my phone. Finally I caught the reflection of a certain furry jacket on my screen and I hurried after it. Izaya headed on for a whiles, taking several back routes that I assumed he used when he was trying to avoid the Shizu-chan he always talked about. Finally, I watched around a corner as he entered a small building, passing an armed guard.

"Hmm…" I pouted, "But I want to see what's going on…."

I turned back around my corner and thought for a bit, then brightened. "Right!" I pulled out a small pack of poppers I'd bought before coming to Japan. I'd managed to sneak them past security in my pocket, and now…

I threw one across to the other corner, grinning as it made a satisfyingly noisy _pop_.

"Hey! Who'sat?" The guard shambled out of the alley, gun forward. Just as I thought he would, he looked in the direction of the noise first—making it very easy to kick him in the side of his head. He went down like a sack of potatoes, and I grabbed his shotgun.

No use going in without protection.

I giggled at how that could've been taken the wrong way.

I pressed my ear to the door, listening to the conversation that was taking place inside.

"…always bring you the most accurate information~ It isn't my fault that your enemy makes less mistakes than you~"

"Shut the hell up! I wanted his location, and I expected you to bring it!"

"Now, now~" Izaya's voice started to sound a little false, like he was uneasy, "No need to get violent~"

I opened the door to a crack, and saw Izaya alone with another man, who had a gun pointed at Izaya's chest.

"I'll get as violent as I damn want, you bastard! I asked for his location, and you brought me scraps! This is your payment!"

I watched it almost like it was in slow motion as the man's finger moved to the trigger. My finger, however, was a fair amount faster, and I watched as the man's brains painted the wall behind him. Izaya jumped, spinning around, looking a lot paler than usual, and definitely shocked. "L-Liz-chan!" He gasped, staring at me.

I looked at him, then looked at the bloody mess I'd made. I laughed, and couldn't stop laughing. I doubled over with laughter and used the shotgun for support. Izaya's hand rested on my shoulder.

"Liz-chan…" He sounded somewhere between annoyed and amused. "You weren't supposed to have followed me."

I couldn't reply; I was simply laughing too hard. My mind slowly caught hold of the fact that I'd just killed a man, and my energy began to drain. However, no matter how horrified I was, I just couldn't stop laughing. My knees buckled, but Izaya caught me before I hit the ground. He slung my arm around his shoulder.

"Come on, Liz-chan~" He chuckled, "Let's get you home~…"


	9. Deception

**Disclaimer: I don't own Durarara!.**

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone, it's NilesDaughter again! To say the least, Izaya's in trouble…And I also apologize for this chapter being so short.**

* * *

I was at the door the instant there was a knock, praying that Morgan hadn't been arrested…Thankfully, it wasn't a police officer escorting her home. Unfortunately, it was Izaya.

"Hello, Tia-chan~"

I glared at him, and looked at Morgan, growing pale when I saw the shotgun she had in her hands. She seemed limp, and I was able to pull it out of her hands without her protesting.

"Amie, can you take her to bed…?"

She came up and took Morgan from Izaya, blushing as she did so, and went to Morgan's room.

"I never expected that to happen~"

I wasted no time in slapping him across the face.

He held a hand to his cheek, looking more startled than hurt. "What was that for?"

"You bastard!" I growled. "What did you think would happen? She has those prescriptions for a fucking reason!" I poked him in the chest. "Did you think it would be funny, huh? She's going to remember she killed a man, you know!"

He simply smirked. "Well, I suppose she's proven her worth, then~"

I slapped his other cheek. "She's not your plaything! I won't let her work for you if this is what you're going to do her!"

"Once again, Tia-chan, that isn't something you have control over~ On top of that, she's a year older than you, isn't she? Making her your senior, and someone you have no sway over~" Giving me what could only be a wicked smile, he reached into his pocket and handed me Morgan's pill bottles. "Let her know I expect her at the usual time~" He left.

* * *

I was still fuming at dinner.

Morgan sighed heavily. "Tia-chan…"

"You went two weeks without your meds, and you didn't bother to tell us?" I snapped.

She winced.

"Tiana…" Amie started.

"We all agreed we wanted to leave this sort of crap in the past! As much as I hate to admit it, Izaya helped by making sure he brought Morgan to us. But what if he's not with her next time? She might find herself in jail, or in an asylum!"

Both of them were silent, and I threw down my chopsticks, trying to force myself to breathe evenly, slowly. After a pause, I sighed.

"I'm sorry…But I just don't want these things getting us into trouble, especially in a foreign country…"

Amie hugged me from where she sat beside me, and Morgan reached across the table to rest her hand on mine in a silent apology. We sat there in silence for a long time.


	10. Crush

**Disclaimer: I don't own Durarara!.**

**Author's Note: Hello everybody! This is Hikari1901, and I'm very much relieved I got my first chapter done xD I think I did pretty good…anyways, I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Morgan had already left for work by the time I was up for work. Tiana was in the kitchen, eating her breakfast.

"Morning!" I greeted as brightly as I could, despite the fact that it was an _ungodly _hour for me to be awake.

"Hey," she replied, still obviously worried about Morgan's recent condition and predicament.

"How was she?" I asked her.

"Eh, better now."

I smiled encouragingly. "Don't worry, she'll be fine."

"Yeah…"

"Well, I'm headed for work. I'll see you later, 'kay?"

"Okay."

I closed the door behind me and left. I soon arrived at the nearby anime store where the manager waited for me at the register. He placed me there for my first day. It was a little busy, a little overwhelming but I was able to manage. Around noon, a group of four people came in. There was one girl with a newsboy cap, a blonde, a tall guy with a beanie and another guy. The girl and the younger boy were bouncing around excitedly as they perused the shelves.

I smiled as I watched how excited they were.

_I wonder if that's how _I _looked back home…_

The girl looked over and smiled. "Hey, you're new here!"

"I sure am…" I replied, a little shy.

"Cool! What's your name?"

"Londono Amie."

The blonde smiled. "Whoa, like that one girl the other day…."

"Yeah, what has her name…? Tiana something…."

"Mustang?" I asked.

"Yeah! You know her?" the girl asked.

"Yeah, we live together…"

She squealed. "That's so cool! You guys have some awesome names!"

"Thanks…?"

"Karisawa Erika," the girl said, and then she pointed to the blonde. "And that's Yumasaki Walker."

"It's nice to meet you."

Then, the tall guy in the beanie walked up behind them, an expression equally amused and irritated. "Are you guys bothering someone _else_?"

I blushed a little. _He's actually…cute…_

I chuckled. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

He looked up at me, smiling a little. "Sorry, it's just that these two have a knack for sticking their noses where they don't belong."

"Aw, Dotachin, you're a buzz kill…" Erika muttered, but I could see her smile mischievously.

He closed his eyes, breathing out slowly. "Don't _call _me that…"

I laughed.

"Well, you can look forward to a lot of this now that you're working here."

I chuckled. "That shouldn't be a problem. I'm usually like this around my friends."

"I guess that is a good thing," he laughed.

"So, what's your name?" I asked as casually as possible.

"I'm Kadota Kyohei, and that guy over there is Togusa Saburo."

He waved from behind them. I smiled back a little.

"So…I guess I'll see you later…?" Kyohei asked.

I nodded, blushing. "Yeah, I guess…"

"Cool…well, are you guys done yet? We gotta go."

They stuck their tongues out at him, but gave me what they wanted. I quickly checked it out, and waved goodbye as they left.

* * *

I walked home after my shift was over, smiling to myself. I was amused at the thought that I had a crush on the first guy I saw here, that Izaya guy. But, he looked like more trouble than it was worth.

I kept walking, smiling a little wider. _Izaya who…?_


	11. Teacher, Teacher

**Disclaimer: I don't own Durarara!.  
**

**Author's Note: XD hellloooo!~~  
This one's from lil shizu-chan's POV  
also, it's part of our headcanon that shizu secretly watches ponies. yes.  
~Bax Embre**

* * *

I sighed, leaning back against the wall of the school I once attended. I wasn't sure why, but I'd wandered here after Tom-san let me off work early. Actually, that was a lie. I knew exactly why I'd come here- I wanted to see that woman again. It was embarrassing, but she was one of the few people who hadn't managed to piss me off yet. That, and she didn't like the flea much either. She was kind of cute too…

"Shut up…" I grumbled to himself, rubbing his forehead. "You're starting to sound like a kid with a crush…."

I shook my head, lighting a cigarette and sticking it in my mouth. I blew out a cloud of smoke and watched it float to the sky. It wasn't much longer before the bell rang and the kids began streaming out of the school.

I watched and waited until I saw a familiar head following in the back of the crowd. I waited until Tiana-san was walking out of the gate before calling to her.

"Hey."

She jumped a little, looking back at me. "Oh! Hello, Hewajima-san! What are you doing here?"

"I was just in the area," I muttered, shrugging and flushing a little. "I thought I'd stop by…"

She turned a little red. "Oh! Um…thanks, I guess?"

"Yeah…so…"

We both stood there awkwardly for several minutes, until I finally spoke up again. "So...erm…want to go get ice cream..? Or something..?"

"Y-yeah! That'd be fun!" She smiled at me.

I grinned back a little. "Great! Come on, I know an awesome little shop…" I started walking, and she followed, seeming amused.

"So…how are you?" I asked as we walked along.

"Fine, I guess." She shrugged. "Still a little tired from work, is all."

I nodded. "Yeah.."

It went silent again. I glanced down at her, thinking. _Should I go for it? no...but..._"Hey, do you have a boyfriend?" I blurted out before I could stop myself, then started to mentally curse at myself.

She looked up at me, then blushed a little. "No…not anymore…" She scratched the back of her neck nervously. "Generally, I've found guys to be a pain in the ass…" She added in a softer tone, "Girls are a lot better sometimes…"

I looked at her, then glared up at the sky.

Well FUCK.

THAT was WONDERFUL. The one girl I could stand liked women. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.

She suddenly laughed. "No, no, no, I think you misunderstood me…I'm…uh...half-and-half..."

I gave her a confused look. "Huh?"

"I'm bisexual," she laughed.

"Oh! Okay…" I was very much relieved.

She chuckled, amused.

Finally, we arrived at the small shop, and both of us ordered large chocolate cones. We went outside and sat at the little tables with large umbrellas. I finished mine within the first minute, and sat watching her, trying to think of a good conversation topic.

"So…um...you said your friend was getting involved with the flea, right? How's that going?"

She grimaced and rolled her eyes. "Poorly. She just keeps getting deeper and deeper into it. And I swear…that man pisses me off to no end..."

I couldn't help but laugh. "You sound like me. Tell you what, next time I see him, I'll throw an extra trash can for you, alright?"

She laughed. "Deal."

We fell silent again.

"Um…so…" she asked hesitantly, "If you don't mind…how do you throw all that? I mean…it's kinda hard to pull up lampposts…"

"Oh…" I made a face. "I dunno…I've always been that way, you know? I used to get hurt all the time, but I started drinking a lot of milk…I think that helped…"

Tiana smirked.

I nodded. "Yeah…"

She watched him, then sighed, "Well, I should probably get home…" She thew away the rest of her cone.

"Oh...Okay. I'll walk you there."

"Alright…" She smiled up at me. "I'd like that."

We walked in silence for a majority of the way. I was just content being with her. I really like this girl…She was so nice…She was smart…She didn't piss me off…

I stopped when we reached her apartment.

"Wait, hang on…you live _here_?"

Tiana-san blinked, pulling out her keys. "Yeah, why?"

"Um…" Slowly, I pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the next door over.

She gaped at me. "You live there?"

"Yeah…I do…so we're neighbors?"

"Yeah..."

I stared at her, then waved.

"Bye, I guess?"

I went inside and closed the door in a hurry, relaxing a bit. I picked up his favorite plush toy and went to sit on my couch.

"What do you think, Fluttershy? Should I ask her out…?"


	12. Shizuo in Love?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Durarara!.**

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone! It's NilesDaughter, again. This chapter is just a fun little filler, because we all had a headcanon idea of what was going on around Shizuo and myself in the last chapter…I hope you all enjoy it!**

* * *

"Well, since Anri-chan couldn't come with us today, let's go hit on girls!" Kida Masaomi exclaimed dramatically.

Ryugamine Mikado sighed in exasperation. "Is that all you think about, Kida-kun…?"

The flamboyant blonde ignored his comment, continuing to prattle about girls and making his usual bad jokes. However, he soon stopped short with a rather audible gasp and then pulled Mikado behind a tree.

"Ki-Kida-kun! What are you doing!"

"Is that what I think it is?" he gasped, staring somewhere near the school's gate.

"What is it?" Mikado sighed.

"That's Heiwajima-san! With our teacher!"

"Eh?" Mikado poked his head around the tree and noticed Heiwajima Shizuo with their new English teacher, Mustang Tiana. His eyes widened. "You weren't kidding, Kida-kun!"

"Of course I wasn't!"

The two boys continued to watch, up until the point the two adults walked off. Masaomi jumped out from behind the tree.

"Let's follow them!" he declared.

"Wh-what happened to hitting on girls?" Mikado asked, finding that to be the preferred option of the two.

"Who can think of girls when there is romance blossoming right in front of us?" Masaomi called over his shoulder as he ran to the gate and looked around to see where Shizuo and Tiana had gone off to.

"Shouldn't we leave them alone, Kida-kun?"

"Of course not, Mikado! This has never happened before! We must be a witness to this!"

Mikado sighed, and then groaned when Masaomi brightened and ran off. "He's really doing this, isn't he…?" he asked himself before following.

Meanwhile, as Tiana and Shizuo headed to the ice cream parlour, a female voice squealed loudly from the inside of an olive-green van.

"Saburo, slow down!"

aburo, slow down!' and Shizuo headed to the ice cream parlour, a female voice squealed loudly from the inside of an olive-green"Wait, why!"

Rather than answering, Karisawa Erika simply pressed her face against one of the van windows, watching the scene outside, wide-eyed.

"What is it?" Yumasaki Walker asked, joining her side.

"Shizu-chan's on a date!" she squealed excitedly. "With Mustang-chan, too!"

"Really?" Kadota Kyohei blinked and turned his head to look out the window from where he sat in the passenger seat. "He is…"

Erika squealed again. "I still think that Shizu-chan has the hots for Iza-Iza, but this is so cute, too!" She giggled. "Shizu-chan's in love!"


	13. Affections and Matchmaking

**Disclaimer: I don't own Durarara!.**

* * *

I sighed a bit after Shizuo's door closed, feeling like I should have said something else…I turned back to my door, but found it was already open, Morgan grinning and standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Tia-chan~! Guess he's our neighbor, yes~? So, you should go be a good neighbor!" And with that, she shoved a plate of recently-baked cookies into my hands and slammed the door shut.

I rolled my eyes when I heard the lock click. "Honestly, I have the freaking…" I stopped myself and then groaned when I realized that she had swiped my keys and bag while she had handed me the cookies…effectively locking me out until I actually went to see Shizuo.

I sighed and went to knock on his door.

After a few moments, he opened it.

"Tiana-san…" He seemed surprised to see me so soon.

He was only in an undershirt and boxers, a rather large Fluttershy plushie under one arm. I flushed a bit when I took note of his mostly-undressed state, and the blush deepened a bit as I noticed that he wasn't wearing his usual sunglasses, making me realize how beautifully toffee-colored his eyes were…

He blinked in confusion when he saw me staring, and glanced down at himself. He turned a bit pink and closed the door again. There were a few thumps, and a bit of cursing, before his door opened again; the Fluttershy was missing, and he was zipping up a pair of pants.

"Um, what are you doing here?"

I grimaced slightly. "I got locked out…May I come in?"

"Uh, sure, I guess…Sorry about the mess…"

I shook my head. "It's fine. Oh, and since I'm here, these are for you…" I held up the cookies.

"Thanks…Um, you can bring them to the kitchen while I tidy up the living room…"

I nodded and stepped into the kitchen, setting the cookies on the counter.

"Heiwajima-san, do you mind if I get something to drink?"

"Uh, sure, help yourself."

I stepped over to the fridge and opened it. I smirked the instant I did; inside was a lot of milk, six personal bottles and a partially-empty two-gallon bottle. Smiling slightly, I took one of the personal bottles and drank some of it before speaking.

"You really like this stuff, don't you, Heiwajima-san?"

"What stuff?"

"Milk."

"Yep." After a pause, his voice came from the kitchen entrance, wary. "Why? You're not one of those people that hate milk, are you?"

A smirk on my face, I showed him the half-empty bottle in my hand. "Does this look like I hate milk, Heiwajima-san?"

He pouted ever-so-slightly, as if disheartened that I had taken some of his stash, but reached past me to grab the two-gallon bottle, drinking straight from it. He flushed a bit when I giggled.

"Yeah…I don't have people over much…"

I nodded, stepping out of the kitchen and looking around. He had hastily shoved things under furniture to have some semblance of tidiness, but I was noticing a lot of plushie limbs. I smiled slightly.

"You have quite the collection, Heiwajima-san."

He flushed. "Well, most of them are presents from my little brother…"

"You mentioned him before…"

He nodded. "Yeah…Um, what about you, Tiana-san? Do you have siblings?"

I smiled slightly, and nodded. "Two little sisters."

"Do you like them?"

"Well enough," I laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"I love them, but they do drive me crazy."

"How?"

"Well, the youngest one is just…out-of-control. She's hyper, and she loves to troll me. My other sister is okay, but she is such a prima donna…" I shrugged. "But, I guess that's just how it is, huh? Siblings are always crazy like that."

He nodded. "Yeah. The flea has two little sisters, but he doesn't really like them. I think he's actually a little _scared_ of them. Plus, they have really big crushes on my brother…" He made a face.

"Ah…"

By that point, we had moved to his couch, our respective milk bottles in front of us and the cookies now in between us. It was silent for a bit, and I hesitated before asking.

"So…Fluttershy?"

He stiffened slightly, as if he had been hoping I hadn't noticed. "Um, yeah…"

I bit my lip, and then gave up. "She's my favourite pony," I murmured.

He blinked at me, and then smiled widely. "Yeah! Fluttershy's awesome!"

I nodded in agreement.

"Pinkie Pie's okay, but she kind of reminds me of the flea, in a weird way…"

I smirked; Pinkie Pie reminded _me_ of _Morgan_.

Shizuo continued. "Rarity's, well, kind of a bitch…Rainbow Dash is pretty cool, too…Twilight Sparkle's too serious…"

"I like Applejack, too."

"Yeah, she's pretty awesome, huh? She doesn't take crap from anypony!"

I laughed, smiling at him. In a weird way, it was nice to be able to talk about 'My Little Pony' with someone other than Morgan. He grinned back.

"You know, you kind of remind me of Fluttershy…"

I blushed. "Y-you really think so…?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"Thanks…"

It was silent for a bit again.

"…Tiana-san?"

"Yes?"

"Um…If I were to, you know, hypothetically, possibly, maybe ask you out on a date…What would you do…?"

I blinked, surprised and pleased all at the same time. "Well…uh…I'd…say 'yes'…"

He stared as if he couldn't believe it. He opened his mouth, but was interrupted by two very loud, but muffled, cheers from next door. He jumped.

"What was that?"

I facepalmed, growling, "Morgan…"

Shizuo laughed a bit. "You really do sound like me…"

"Sorry…" I murmured, now flushing in embarrassment.

"So…Is Friday night okay with you?"

I nodded. "That's fine."

"Okay."

I managed a smile. "So, I'll see you then…Shizuo-kun…" I stood. "I'm pretty sure I'll be able get into my apartment, now, so I'm heading out…"

"Okay…Bye, Tiana-chan."


	14. Infuriatingly Unpredictable

**Disclaimer: I don't own Durarara!.**

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone! This is NilesDaughter with a special Izaya chapter~**

* * *

I stared at my computer, chin resting atop crossed hands as a frown spread across my face. Liz-chan, according to prior work records, was rather meticulous about him, especially so when it came to her jobs. Sighing, I leaned back.

Did she _honestly_ think I would fire her over something as small as murder?

While it was true I was still a little irked with her for following me to my meeting, and for killing one of my precious humans, I was more annoyed with the fact that she apparently thought I was like any of her previous employers.

Surely a smart girl like her would have realized by now that I simply wasn't normal?

There was a knock on the door, and I glanced up, the frown returning to my face. There was another knock, and I went to answer the door; I found Liz-chan standing there. She glanced up once the door opened, and slipped inside, silent.

"It's about time you showed up, Liz-chan. I expected you the day after the little—"

"The usual, right?"

I frowned, both at the interruption and at the tone of her voice. She sat down at her desk, beginning to sort files and papers. I watched for a bit, thinking that she was being rather boring. I frowned and began to rummage through my desk drawers, certain that I had…

Indeed, the handcuffs were right where I had left them.

With them in hand, I approached Liz-chan and attached her to the desk. She jumped and looked up at me with wide eyes.

"You're not leaving until you finish~"

"I wasn't planning on it…" She seemed rather relieved and looked back down at her work.

I smirked and leaned in next to her ear. "Was Liz-chan having dirty thoughts, perhaps~?"

She jumped. "If you want me to work, then go away!"

Still smirking, I returned to my desk, putting together profiles for several different clients. Gradually, though, I grew bored and glanced over at Liz-chan; her movements were rather jerky, almost violent.

"Having problems~?" I chuckled.

"Yeah. You're talking."

I frowned, though I was also amused. "You almost sound like Shizu-chan~"

"Better than sounding like you—I don't think I could handle being so feminine~"

As her back was to me due to the position of her desk, she didn't notice my eyes narrow. Thinking back to her profile, I recalled her sexual orientation being bisexual…as was Tia-chan's.

"So, Liz-chan prefers to top~?"

There was a rather audible _THUNK_ as her head hit the desk. "Shut up." Heh. How predictable.

I smirked. "You know, with the way Tia-chan acts all the time, I would have thought that she'd be on top…"

Liz-chan picked up the wastebasket beside her desk and threw it in my direction; it missed my computer, and I twisted in my chair to dodge it, but I still winced when it collided with the window…While it was amusing, it was also rather annoying that she was acting so much like Shizu-chan…

"Wow, you really _are_ like Shizu-chan today, aren't you?"

"I couldn't tell—_you_ always _flirt_ with _him_."

I fell silent for a few moments, frustrated; I was unused to successfully arguing with someone.

"Is _that_ why you're acting like Shizu-chan? To get me to flirt with you~?"

"Izaya, the way you flirt is reminiscent of a pedophile. No thanks."

I stared at her with narrowed eyes, finding myself frustrated all over again. But I stood and went to wrap my arms around her, smirking as she stiffened considerably.

"Oh, but _surely_ I'm better than that~" I whispered, taking note of her blush with amusement. When she didn't answer, I continued. "What's the matter~? Cat got your tongue~?"

She took a breath and then glanced at me. "No, see? It's right here." And, with that, Liz-chan licked my face.

I staggered back, furiously rubbing at my cheek. "What the fuck!"

She simply smirked. "Is there a problem, Zay-chan~?"

"Of course not, Liz-chan…" I muttered and returned to my desk, spinning to face the window, frowning.

What Liz-chan had done was unpredictable and abnormal, annoying even. I hadn't expected it, and I even knew she was a little off from reading her profile. Even though Simon and Shizu-chan defied my expectations, they didn't do it quite like Liz-chan did.

The most irritating part was that I couldn't decide if it annoyed me or amused me.

"Well, I'm leaving early~"

"Fine…" I sighed, rubbing my temples.

It took me too long to register her words.

"Wait, what!" I spun around just in time to see the door latch close. I looked at Liz-chan's desk, seeing that she hadn't finished sorting, but the handcuffs, and their key, sat beside her keyboard.

Eyes widening slightly, my hand flew to the pocket where I had placed said key. Brow furrowing, I realized that she had probably swiped it when she had licked me. I frowned.

"That little bitch…"

Shaking my head, I glanced around the room, and my eyes fell on my gameboard, abandoned since the unsuccessful three-way war I had created the previous year. A sudden smirk replacing my frown, ideas already forming in my mind, I stood to rearrange it to my satisfaction.

After placing a black king on the board, I picked up a black queen. I stared at it, rolling it between my fingers, before smirking and placing it beside its corresponding king.

"I have high hopes for you, Liz-chan~"


	15. Chatroom Blues

**Disclaimer: I don't own Durarara!.**

**Author's Note: Hey, it's NilesDaughter! Here's another in-between filler from Bax Embre's POV (kind of…), following the events after the previous chapter.**

* * *

"RRRGH!"

Morgan growled again, punching the wall. "Why the heck do you bother working for that bastard? All he does is troll!"

She sat in her desk chair, rubbing her brow. She was home alone due to her leaving early, so she could fume aloud for once.

"He's a total asshole; why are you still working for him?"

She hit her head on her desk a couple times, letting the pain calm her senses.

"That just makes you like him more, doesn't it…" she groaned to herself. She hated it, but she was slowly starting to get feelings for Izaya. She groaned again, disliking the idea. She needed to talk to someone.

She pulled up the Dollars website, opening a chat with her best friend.

BAX: Hey, Kanra (=_=)~  
KANRA: Hello, Bax-san!~  
KANRA: It's been a while ('w')  
BAX: Yeah, too long.  
BAX: How are you?  
KANRA: Good~  
KANRA: Acording to Nile-san, you're all in Ikebukuro, right?  
BAX: Yeah! Been a long month…  
KANRA: Sounds like you're having problems adjusting ('Д')~  
BAX: Not so much that, but with my current employer.  
KANRA: Ah  
KANRA: What's wrong, then?  
BAX: A couple things  
BAX: One, he's an ass  
BAX: Two, I think I like him…  
KANRA: Isn't that a little contradictory, Bax-san?~  
BAX: Yeah, it should be.  
KANRA: Then why do you like him so much if you think he's such an ass?  
BAX: Hard to explain…  
BAX: It's like, he's one of the only people able to get to me…  
BAX: Helped by the fact that he's totally hot.  
KANRA: Still sounding rather contradicting there, Bax-san~  
BAX: Eh, I don't know.  
BAX: Guess I'm masochistic.  
KANRA: Maybe…  
KANRA: So, who is this guy, anyway?  
BAX: Not sure you'd believe me…  
KANRA: Aww tell me! (ﾟAﾟ)~~~  
BAX: If you insist.  
BAX: It's Orihara Izaya.  
KANRA: Really?~  
BAX: ee-yup  
KANRA: How'd you manage that, then?  
KANRA: No one seems to think highly of him in this city.  
BAX: He just walked up to me, asked if I wanted a job, and I said yes.  
KANRA: Hm.  
BAX: So, yeah, I don't know how I'm supposed to deal with him.  
BAX: Especially since I got pissed at him today.  
BAX: Any suggestions?  
KANRA: Not really, Bax-san.  
KANRA: I don't know him personally.  
BAX: Awwww, come on—not even a scrap of advice?  
KANRA: Not really…  
BAX: Yeah, oh well.  
BAX: Eh, I guess I'm probably going to try and quit.  
KANRA: I'm not so sure you should do that, Bax-san…  
KANRA: He's infamous for his temper, like Heiwajima Shizuo…  
BAX: Who is apparently our neighbor.  
KANRA: ! (OAO)  
BAX: Uh-huh.  
BAX: So, I think I can handle his temper.  
BAX: I mean, why bother?  
BAX: I'm just gonna end up liking him more  
BAX: And it's not like he'll like me back.  
KANRA: Well, you never know…men can be weird…  
BAX: This is Orihara Izaya we're talking about  
BAX: He's the definition of weird!  
KANRA: I suppose that is true…  
BAX: Meh, whatever, I'm still probably gonna quit.  
KANRA: If you do, just be careful.  
BAX: I will.  
BAX: Thanks for talking with me, Kanra-san :3  
KANRA: Sure thing, Bax-san…

Morgan pulled away from her computer, feeling a lot better. She loved talking to Kanra; she always helped. She sighed, stretching.

"Eh, who am I kidding…I like working for him too much to quit…"


	16. Dates Have a Funny Way of Happening

**Disclaimer: I don't own Durarara!.**

**Author's Note: It's Hikari1901, again! I think I like writing cute chapters ^^ lol I hope you like this one, too.**

* * *

I had my head in a hand, the other hand flipping through a manga novel. That day had been really slow, only a few people walking through. I looked up at the clock.

Still three hours left on my shift.

I groaned, and continued to read the novel.

A little while later, I heard the bell from the door ring. I looked up, relieved to have a customer. I saw Kyohei walk in with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey," he smiled, walking over.

I blushed, putting the novel away. "Hi."

"I saw you in here and I thought I should come and talk to you. I hope you don't mind…"

I shook my head. "Not at all…Thanks."

"So, you're from America, right?"

"Yeah, born and raised."

"Why'd you move here?"

I shrugged, chuckling. "Random impulse, I guess. My friend, Tiana, moved here, so I followed her with my other friend, Morgan."

"Wow," he chuckled. "That impulsive, huh?"

I blushed. "Yeah…"

"Do you like it here, though?"

"Well, I haven't been here too long, but so far I really do…" I looked up at him.

He blushed a little, too. "Oh…"

"Yeah…So, what do you do?"

"Oh, well, I don't really have a job, so…"

"So, you have a lot of free time?"

He nodded, chuckling. "Yeah, I guess I do."

I kept smiling, shyly unsure of what to do. The bell above the door rang again, and Erika walked in, followed by Walker.

"Hey, it's Amie!" she said, waving.

I waved back smiling.

"And…_Dotachin_? What are you doing here?"

He ran his hands over his face. "Stop calling me that…"

"Since when did you come here by yourself?" Walker asked, confused.

"Um…" he began, scratching his head nervously.

Erika gasped. "Unless you weren't here for the anime…Does Dotachin have a crush?"

"I…I do not!" he said, his face turning red.

"You do, don't you? Oh, that's so cute!"

I chuckled, amused by their teasing.

"Will you two just…get out?" He was covering his face with his hands,

"Why would we do that?" Walker laughed. "We haven't gotten anything yet!"

He groaned.

"Fine, fine, we'll be quick!"

I chuckled as they walked away. They quickly brought back a few novels, continuing to tease Kyohei.

"See you later, Amie-chan!" Erika said as they left the store.

"Bye," I laughed.

Kyohei finally took his face out of his hands, grimacing.

"Are you okay?" I chuckled.

"Yeah," he laughed, "now that they're gone."

"They're actually pretty funny…I like them."

"Yeah, you only like them because you don't spend a lot of time with them."

"Oh, c'mon, they can't be that bad…"

He looked up at me, raising a brow.

"I think…"

He chuckled.

After a few minutes, a large group of people finally walked in.

"Oh, well, I should probably go…Let you do your job."

"Oh…um, okay."

He stuck his hands back into his pockets. "So…I was wondering…"

"Yeah…?"

"I don't know, maybe after your shift is over…you wanna go get some ice cream, or something?"

I smiled, blushing. "Yeah, that'd be great."

"Okay…So, I'll meet you at the place down the street?"

"Yeah, at three."

"Okay…I'll see you soon, then."

"I'll see you soon."

He walked out of the store, smiling. I danced around, trying to contain my excitement. I was oddly cheery as I checked out the large group of customers.

Although I still had a lot of time on my shift, I was glad to wait if it meant having a sort-of date with Kyohei.

I smiled, and waited as the clock slowly moved its way to three o'clock.


	17. First Date

**Disclaimer: I don't own Durarara!.**

* * *

I flipped through the hangers in my closet, frowning as one foot tapped restlessly. I had just gotten out of the shower, and was now stressing about what to wear. How had Friday come so fast?

"Tsk…"

"Is something wrong, Tia?"

I glanced back to see Amie standing in the doorway of my room. "Yeah, I don't know what to wear."

"Wardrobe problems, ne~?" Morgan sang, coming to Amie's side. "We can help with that~!"

My eyes narrowed. "Only if the most revealing thing you try to stick me in is a miniskirt and a spaghetti-strap top."

Morgan pouted slightly. "Fine…"

I rolled my eyes. "I won't go if you make me look like a stripper. End of story."

"Fine, fine…"

Amie laughed. "I'll keep her in check."

They stepped up to my closet, conversing with each other. I sighed and sat at the edge of my bed, waiting for their judgment. They finally showed me a hanger; on it was a pale pink cocktail dress, lightly cinched at the breasts, with tiny gold lobster-claw clips connecting spaghetti straps to wider, off-the-shoulder ones.

"…Where did _that_ come from?" I demanded, pretty sure I never had something like it in my closet.

"The mall~" Morgan replied with a grin.

"Oh, you little…"

She laughed.

I groaned, knowing it technically met my standards…I took the hanger.

"No, not yet, Tia-chan! I need to do your hair~!"

"But—"

"Nope! I'm doing your hair~" Her eyes sparkled excitedly, and I sighed; I wouldn't be able to get away with just a simple half-ponytail.

"Okay…" I hung the dress up on my door and followed Morgan to the bathroom.

She was practically bouncing as she sat me down and unwrapped my hair from its towel turban, lightly brushing through it before getting her supplies: voluminizing shampoo, conditioner, a blowdryer, a few ponytail holders, and a razor. I blinked, even though I knew she could actually be a little girly when it came to hair.

"What are you doing…?"

She made a sort of shushing noise as she had me lean back over the sink so she could wash my hair again. She sat me back up and used the blowdryer on my hair before arranging it. After a lot of pulling and teasing, she then turned her attention to my bangs, still grinning, as she used the razor to lightly feather the ends.

"There!" she declared proudly before hurrying me back to my room. "Put it on, put it on!"

I took the offensive clothing item and slipped out of my bathrobe and into it. I started to turn towards the mirror, but Amie stood in front of me.

"Not until I've done your makeup," she chastised, leading me back to the bathroom.

She took less time than Morgan, but it was obvious that she was being sure to apply everything carefully. Finally, she pulled away, grinning. "Okay!" She took my hands to help me stand up, and then turned me to face the mirror.

My eyes widened.

Morgan had arranged my hair into a sort of modified bun, allowing an inner ponytail to stick out in well-arranged spikes, the bangs framing my face. Amie's makeup was simple, but still amazing; she had used brown eyeshadow to give my eyes a smoky look, accented by black eyeliner, and had simply used a clear lip gloss to add a bit of shine to my lips.

My attention then turned to the dress, and I blanched a little. It hugged my frame, a little too much for my comfort, and barely reached halfway down my thighs. I tugged at the bottom hem with a slight whimper.

"You look fine," Morgan told me.

"But this dress…"

"Is nice," Amie said, handing me gold hoop earrings.

I sighed and put them on. I _did_ look nice…but it looked too sexy for a first date.

"Okay, come on. You need to hurry up."

I nodded, heading towards the door. My pair of strappy gold-colored heels waited for me, as well as an ivory-colored clutch.

"Um, why isn't my trench coat over here, too?" I called.

"It's going to be warm tonight, and it won't rain," Amie explained, looking like she was trying not to laugh.

My eyes narrowed a bit.

"Why cover up such a pretty dress~?" Morgan asked.

I sighed. "You both suck…"

"But you love us!" Amie said, finally giving up and laughing.

I shook my head, slipping into my shoes. I glanced back at them, posing slightly for a final approval. They both nodded, and I grabbed my clutch, stepping outside. I went out to the front of the building, waiting.

After a while, someone came out of the building, approaching me.

"Shizuo-nii is still getting dressed. He'll be out soon."

I blinked. _No way…_"Oh, um, that's fine…"

Hanejima Yuhei nodded and went back inside.

I stared after him, slightly slack-jawed. One of my favorite foreign actors was my date's _little brother_!?

"Tiana-chan?"

I shook my head a little and looked up at Shizuo. He wasn't wearing his sunglasses, and instead of his usual bartender outfit, he was in a light blue silky-looking button-up shirt, black slacks, and a long black tie. I flushed a bit; he looked really good.

He was blushing, too. "Y-you look nice…"

"Thanks…So do you."

"Yeah?"

I nodded.

He smiled.

"So…Hanejima Yuhei is your brother?"

"Yeah…"

I frowned; he sounded disappointed…"Well, I think that's really cool! He's one of my favorite actors!"

He nodded, looking crestfallen.

I blinked. The popular ones always got the girls…Shizuo thought that I wouldn't want to go out with him now that I knew who his brother was…To prove him wrong, I beamed at him, taking his arm. "So, where are we going?"

"Um…" He looked startled, then confused, then pleased. "Russia Sushi…If that's okay with you?"

Russia Sushi…The place I had seen on my first day. I had wanted to try it…"Yeah, that's fine."

He smiled. "Okay. Let's go."

Before we had even taken a step, Morgan came running out of the building. "Oh! I almost forgot these!" She ran over to Shizuo, handing him a small box. "You forgot these!" She then ran back inside like her life depended on it.

Shizuo blinked and looked down at the box; he then turned cherry-red in an instant.

"What is it?" I glanced over, and felt myself get hot, too.

Morgan had given Shizuo a box of condoms.

"U-um…"

"I'm so sorry, Shizuo-kun! M-Morgan's just a prankster, and…" I trailed off, highly embarrassed and feeling the urge to murder Morgan.

"…Should I just get rid of these?" he finally asked.

I lightly shook my head. "We won't hear the end of it if we do…" I slowly held out my hand. "I'll just keep them in my purse…"

He wordlessly handed them over, and I shoved the box into my clutch. After a few more moments of awkward silence, he cleared his throat.

"So…sushi?"

I nodded. "Yeah…"

He started walking, and I followed behind him, still feeling embarrassed by Morgan's little stunt. What a great way to start a date…After a while, my phone vibrated, and I groaned; Morgan was in one of _those_ moods, where she was going to send me inappropriate texts throughout the evening. I checked to see how bad the first one was.

**MORGAN**  
6:45 p.m.  
_make sure you don't order tuna~_

I frowned in confusion. _Huh?_

**MORGAN**  
6:46 p.m.  
_it has aphrodisiac properties~_

I blushed. _Oh…_I returned my phone to my clutch and hurried after Shizuo.

"…So, she does that often?" he asked.

"That's an understatement," I sighed.

He seemed confused. "Then why are you friends with her?"

I smiled a bit. "Because she's one of the few people that accept me. Because of that, I can put up with her teasing."

"I see…" he mused.

At that point, we arrive at the restaurant. Once inside, the black man that had been passing out flyers greeted us.

"Shizuo! You here for your reservation, da?" He looked at me with a wide smile. "Ah! I remember you…I give you half-price flyer!"

I nodded shyly.

"Now I see Shizuo was not lying. You very lucky to catch beautiful girl! This mean you done going through puberty?"

We both blushed.

"C-can we please get to our table, Simon?"

He smiled again and led us to one of the private rooms. As I knelt down, Simon looked at Shizuo.

"I'm surprised, Shizuo. I always thought you were with Izaya, _da_? Always chasing, _da_, like…kids on a playground! Or, maybe you two were just fucking?"

I blinked, biting my bottom lip to try and not laugh.

Shizuo sputtered. "Wh-what!? Oh, hell no!"

Simon raised a brow. "If you say so. Maybe someday you still try, _da_? Use energy for love and not fighting…" He then walked off.

Shizuo groaned and buried his face into his hands. I couldn't help it anymore; I snorted in amusement. That made him wince, burying his face even deeper.

"If it's any consolation, he seems more likely to try that than you…"

"Eh…Not really…" he grumbled, leaning back a little. "I don't get why he keeps flirting with me…I mean, it's not like he keeps flirting with me…I mean, it's not like he actually likes anyone…Men or women."

I laughed a bit. "There's a term for that."

"Huh?"

"Asexual."

"Ah…"

It fell silent for a bit, and then Simon returned to get our orders. "Okay! What you both want? And, young lady…" He bent down to 'whisper' in my ear. "If he hurt you or try and rape you, let me know, _da_?"

Shizuo twitched. "I'm not gonna rape her!"

I blushed and simply nodded. "O-okay…Um…" My blush deepened, and I looked down at the menu. "Water to drink, and…" Despite Morgan's 'warning', I couldn't help it…"The spicy tuna roll, please."

He glanced at Shizuo.

"Milk, and tamago, I guess…"

I flushed; I already knew that milk also had aphrodisiac properties. Simon nodded and went off. At that exact moment, my phone vibrated.

**MORGAN**  
7:16 p.m.  
_you still got the tuna, didn't you?~~ ;3_

"Radammit, why is everyone's minds in the gutter!?" I flushed the instant I realized that I said that out loud.

Shizuo looked at me. "Your friend again…?"

I nodded sheepishly, glaring at my phone briefly before shoving it back into my clutch.

"…I still don't get why you'd still be friends with someone if they piss you off so much…"

"Like I said earlier, despite her pranks, she's actually a pretty good friend…"

"…Yeah…But I really haven't heard anything about her that isn't prank-related or her being annoying. You're always talking about how she pisses you off, and how she hangs around the flea. Hell, he's gotten worse lately, always mentioning his 'Liz-chan'…"

I blinked, startled for a bit; Izaya hadn't seemed the type to obsess about any one person…"Well, she really _is_ a good friend…" I set down my chopsticks, staring at the table as I fidgeted with my hands. "I-I really shouldn't be talking about this when we're on a date, but…there's a reason I said I find guys to be a pain in the ass…"

"Oh?" He looked at me, waiting for me to continue.

"…I had a boyfriend, once…" I started uneasily. "We were together for three years…" I shook my head. "Ra, that was a stupid mistake…But once I finally opened my eyes and broke up with him…Well, Morgan doesn't really get mad or do anything drastic, but she gathered some of our friends to help her beat him up once they found out what a jerk he had been to me…"

He glared a bit. "What all did he do?"

I looked away. "I don't really like talking about it…Heck, my friends don't know everything…"

"You can tell me…I won't say anything to them…"

I smiled a bit and shook my head. "Maybe some other time…"

"Whatever. He was probably a real asshole. I still don't get it…I mean, even with all Izaya talks about, she still seems to troll…Though it's weird he's talking so much about her…Are they screwing?"

"He was…And, dear Ra, I hope not."

"Hm." He fell silent again.

Simon returned with the food at that point. Shizuo seemed happy as he ate, alternating between eating the sweet egg and drinking his milk. I found myself watching him, and shaking my head a little. Gah, everyone was getting to me with all the innuendos…

He glanced at me. "You okay?"

"Fine," I lied, popping a piece of sushi into my mouth, and knowing that wasn't going to help my thoughts.

"Okay…" He shrugged, continuing with his meal.

I breathed out quietly, relieved.

The rest of the date went better, and it seemed almost too soon that Shizuo was walking me back home. We stopped outside of my door, and I looked up at him.

"…I had a great time tonight."

He smiled, looking very relieved. "Good…I'm glad…"

After a few moments, he slowly leaned over and pressed his lips against mine. There was a loud cheer from inside my apartment, and he broke away, seeming embarrassed. He then gave me an awkward pat on the head and practically dashed into his own apartment.

I stared after him, dazed, my lips still parted slightly. Finally, I unlocked the door and slipped inside.

Morgan stood in the foyer, grinning; she had obviously been watching us through the peephole of the door. I grimaced a bit, knowing she had enjoyed herself far too much.

I leaned back against the door and slipped off my heels.

"Ne~ You didn't even use my gift~"

I rolled my eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted. "You know I'm not loose…"

"I know~ But, eh…With him…I wouldn't discourage it."

I blinked. I had had boyfriends—and girlfriends, for that matter—before, but Morgan had never taken that viewpoint with any of them. "What makes Shizuo so special?"

"You two are so perfect together~"

I blushed. "It was only one date…" I shook my head. "I'm heading to bed, now…"

She grabbed my arm and steered me towards the couch. "Not so fast, Tia-chan~! You have to tell us _all_ about it!" She sat me down between herself and Amie.

I sighed, and began to recount the events of that evening. They were highly amused by what Simon had done, and thought Shizuo and I were cute together in general.

However, once I mentioned that I had brought up my ex-boyfriend, Morgan frowned.

"Even _I_ know not to do that on a date, Tia…"

"Well, it was the only thing I could think of at the time that proved you're actually a good person," I replied defensively. "Besides…" I smiled a bit," he looked like he would go beat him up, too, if he knew who and where he was…"

Morgan's attitude changed almost instantly. "See? You two are perfect together!"

I blushed.

Amie giggled a bit. "Yep. It's absolutely adorable."

"It was only one date…"

"So? You like him, don't you?" she asked.

"Well, yeah, but—"

"So there'll be more dates!" Morgan declared. "After all, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that he likes you, too~~~!"

I looked down at my lap in embarrassment. After a pause, I asked, "Can I go to bed, now?"

Morgan nodded.

I stood and went to my room to take off the dress and slipped into my pajamas before heading to the bathroom to take down my hair, wash off the make-up, and brush my teeth. When I returned to my room and slipped under the covers, my phone vibrated from where it lay on my nightstand. I reached over and picked it up.

The new text message was from Shizuo. I blinked a bit, as I had almost forgotten that I had given him my number earlier that evening.

**SHIZUO**  
10:04 p.m.  
_I had a good time tonight, too…sorry that I didn't say so earlier_

I smiled a bit, texting a reply.

**TIANA**  
10:06 p.m.  
_It's fine. I'm glad you did ^^_

**SHIZUO**  
10:12 p.m.  
…_I'd like to go on another date, Tiana-chan_

**TIANA**  
10:13 p.m.  
_I would, too_

**SHIZUO**  
10:15 p.m.  
_that's great!_

**TIANA**  
10:17 p.m.  
_^^ anyway, I apoliogize, Shizuo-kun, but I'm heading to bed soon…we can talk more tomorrow?_

**SHIZUO**  
10:20 p.m.  
_oh, sure. good night, Tiana-chan_

**TIANA**  
10:21 p.m.  
_good night_

I set my phone back on the nightstand, smiling widely as I rolled over onto my side and closed my eyes.


	18. Of Suspicions and Kidnappings

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Durarara!'.**

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone! Sorry to make you wait for such a long time (especially, when, in all honesty, these next couple of chapters have been written for a while now…), but school gets in the way.**

* * *

I stretched a bit before trailing after the crowd of students streaming out of the school. It had been a good day. I was adjusting well to being an English teacher, and the students were helping as much as they could. Even Masaomi had actually paid attention in class. So, as I paused outside the school gate, I found myself thinking that the day couldn't go wrong.

"Tiaaaaaaa-chaaaaaaaaaaan!~~~~"

Great. Of course I jinxed it. I had to say it, didn't I?

Morgan came over and grabbed my arm, eyes sparkling excitedly, grinning.

Oh, crap. That was her 'I-have-a-brilliant-idea' face. That expression almost always led to problems on my part.

"Oh, Sensei! I couldn't help but notice that you're standing with a pretty new woman!"

While I was embarrassed that Masaomi was trying to flirt with Morgan, it meant that she couldn't tell me her idea; it was for that same reason that she was pouting.

"So, may I ask who this wonderful young lady is~?" Masaomi all but sang.

"Well… this is actually my friend that I told you about when I first met you."

"Oh~!" He glanced at Morgan. "So, what's your name?"

Morgan grinned a bit, and bowed slightly. "Morgan Harvey, at your service~!"

"Such an English name! Well, my foreign flower, my name is Ma-sa-omi Kida~!"

"Oh…" Morgan fell out of her theatrical mode, staring at him. "That must make you _the_ Kida Masaomi, leader of the yellow scarves, ne?~"

His face fell instantly, becoming stunned.

She looked at Mikado. "Making you his best friend, Ryugamine Mikado and founder of The Dollars~"

"H-how…?" Mikado blinked.

"And, of course, to complete the trio, we have Sonohara Anri, also known as Saika, or The Slasher, yes~?"

Anri looked down at the ground, fidgeting uncomfortably.

I looked at my students, blinking in confusion, and then glanced at Morgan, who was grinning.

"…You wouldn't happen to know an Orihara Izaya, would you?" Masaomi asked, his voice dry, his expression becoming a scowl.

"Why, yes, actually~ He happens to be my employer~"

"I thought so…" Masaomi sighed.

"Well, it was nice meeting all of you, but Tia-chan and I must be going now~! Bye-bye~~~! " She went off, taking me by the arm and dragging me with her.

Once we were a bit away, she sighed in relief.

"Bax, were you serious about all that?"

"But of course~! Now, since they're gone, I can tell you about my idea~! "

I groaned. "I don't think I want to know…"

She pouted. "Aw, come on! Now that you and Shizu-chan are together, I need to work on getting Amie and that Dotachin person together!"

I grimaced slightly, then, started to feel a little torn. While I wasn't quite looking forward to hearing Morgan's plan, it would be cute to finally see Amie officially going out with the guy she always talked about. "I don't know…"

"Please? I already have it all thought out, but I just need help pulling it off. So, you get to come into work with me today~! "

I blinked in confusion. "You didn't go in for work yet…?"

"Uh… no~~~~~~"

I blinked again. 'Work' for Morgan meant… "Oh, _hell_ no."

"But Tiaaaaaaaaaaa…"

"No! There's no fucking way I'm going to Orihara's place!"

She pouted, pulling on my arm, partially dragging me down the sidewalk. "But it's for Amie! Pleeeeeeeease?"

"No!"

"But, Amie!"

I groaned, pulling my arm out of her grip and brushing past her. "FINE. Let's hurry up and get this over with."

"Yay~! " She brightened almost instantly and joined my side.

* * *

"Hello, Zay-chan~! "

I followed Morgan into the apartment, feeling uncomfortable. Izaya was sitting at a desk by the floor-length window opposite the door. He looked…well…pissed off, actually.

"You're late."

"Well, you see, Tia-chan and I needed your help with something! But I couldn't take her away from HER job, so I just decided to be late to mine~! "

His eyes narrowed. "You expect my help when you were five hours late, Liz-chan?"

After a pause, as if she were deliberating her answer, she replied, "Yes."

I shook my head. Well, it was comforting to know she still acted the same in front of Izaya…

He sighed, pushing away from his computer. "Fine. What do you need help with?" he asked, rubbing his temples.

"Well…" She grinned and plopped down on one of the couches by the stairs; I hesitantly sat on the other one. "You see, I've been thinking… since Shizu-chan and Tia-chan are together now, poor Amie-chan is left in the dust. So, I have come up with a brilliant plan to bring Amie-chan and Dotachin together~! "

At that point, Izaya seemed to be more interested, rather than like he was trying to fend off a headache. "Go on~"

"Well, you see, that's where you come in. I have something of a 'damsel-in-distress' plot that I think will work quite well~"

"Bax…" I started slowly. "Please, PLEASE tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking…"

She simply ignored my comment, continuing to lay out her 'plan'.

"So. I need you to get someone to kidnap Amie~ Chloroform and everything~ After that, I'll need you to tip off Dotachin to the, ah, 'situation'."

"Morgan!"

She still ignored me, looking at Izaya. "So~? "

He was smirking. "Sounds easy enough~"

"Wait, you're not supposed to encourage her!" I told him, but who was I kidding? I was talking to Izaya.

As I expected, he also ignored me.

"When do you want this done, ne~? "

"Tomorrow~"

He frowned slightly. "Well, that doesn't give me much time…"

"Well, if you can't get it done by then, I suppose you're not the best in Ikebukuro. Or Shinjuku. Or in Japan, for that matter."

His expression hardened for a moment. "Fine. The arrangements will be made by tonight."

"I'll be sure to check on that~"

After a moment I spoke. "So… why did you need me..?"

"Well, A-I figured I'd get in trouble if you found out later rather than sooner, and B-You're the one who's going to be leading her to the kidnap spot~"

I blinked. "You're joking, right?"

"Tia-chan, you've known me long enough. What do you think~? "

I groaned. "I hate you sometimes…"

Morgan just gave me one of her infuriating smirks and went over to her desk to work. I groaned again, and it became quiet. I sighed a bit, looking around. I could have just headed home, but I really didn't feel like leaving Morgan there…I sighed slightly and pulled out my phone so I could let Amie know I was going to be coming home with Morgan, but I noticed I had a voice message. I blinked in confusion, and listened to it.

"Tia-chan, it's Izaya. I know you're at work right now, but maybe you'll still hear this…Liz-chan hasn't come in for work yet, and she's not answering her phone…She's already three hours late…If you have any idea where she is, call me back at this number as soon as possible!"

I blinked; Izaya's voice sounded worried…It couldn't be possible…There was _no way_ he could like Morgan in _that way_, could he? He just didn't seem the type…But, still…

"Um Izaya, mind telling me—?" I started, looking at him.

His eyes widened slightly once he saw that my phone was in my hand, and shook his head, almost frantic as he motioned for me to shut up. I gave him a puzzled look, but he simply waved me over. Rolling my eyes, I did so.

He suddenly grabbed the collar of my blazer, pulling me close. "A word to Liz-chan, and you'll find yourself deported!" he hissed.

I stared at him for a long time, disbelieving. Steadily, my mouth spread into a smirk. "Oh, don't worry. I'll be waiting for you to slip up on your own, Iza-chan~"

He grimaced, let go of my collar, and turned back to his computer in order to ignore me.

I laughed slightly, and then glanced back over to where I had been sitting earlier, and noticed Morgan had returned to the couch, staring at the game board on the coffee table; she looked tempted to touch the pieces. She glanced at me, and I shook my head frantically.

She pouted, reaching out a tentative hand.

I shook my head again, mouthing, "No."

She looked at me with her expression that clearly said, "But…. but…"

I returned with a hard look.

She pouted, looking at the floor.

I sighed, joining her on the couch.

"Oh Tia-chan~" Izaya looked up from his computer, smirking a bit.

"…What?"

"I wanted to ask you…Liz-chan, what are you doing?"

I glanced back at Morgan to see her filing sheepishly as she moved some of the game pieces. "Bax, what did I tell you!?"

"I can't help it!" she defended. "It's just…There's a pattern. I can see it…" She frowned. "The checkers are untrustworthy, only capable of moving diagonally, while the chess bishops lead them on, though they never communicate with each other. The pawns are unknowing. The black king, all-seeing…The rooks, the knights, the go pieces…" Her frown deepened. "Everything is in a pattern…it's just…screwed up. I need to fix it."

Izaya blinked, clearly and genuinely startled. "…You can see all that?"

"Yeah…it's not that hard…Each piece's movement represents a type of person…like the go pieces show a person who's more likely to stay as a pack and 'attack' as a group."

"I see…" Now he looked impressed.

Once she had rearranged the board to her satisfaction, Morgan sat back. "There…"

Izaya sighed slightly, "Fine…"

Morgan grinned a bit and nodded, returning to her stacks of paperwork.

* * *

I bit my lip nervously, hoping Amie wouldn't catch onto it. I glanced at the time on my phone. I still had time to get Amie to the kidnap point, but that was going to be hard when Izaya had decided it to be located in _Harajuku_. Of course, Amie wasn't going to get distracted _at all_.

"Sweet baby Jesus, this place is crazy!" Amie laughed, not knowing where to look.

"Um, I know a place…But it, uh, closes early, so we need to hurry!"

"Okay!" She said, following me eagerly.

I grimaced a bit. Amie trusted me too easily… Probably why Morgan had used me to help…

"So, what do they have there?"

"…Hot Topic-y stuff…"

She squeaked, even more determined to get there.

My grimace spread, continuing to lead her to the decided location. I finally came to a stop at the mouth of an alley, turning to her. "Could you wait here a bit? I need to make sure I have the right directions…"

"Sure!"

I nodded and slipped into the nearest building, waiting. After a few minutes, I took a deep breath and stepped back outside. Amie was missing from where I had left her.

I breathed out, already feeling guilty. As I slowly made my way back to the train station to return home, I found myself thinking that the whole scheme had better be worth it.


	19. Rescue

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'Durarara!'. **

**Author's Note: Hello, again! So, this time, we have a chapter told from Kyohei's point of view (which was a pain in the butt to write, I might add…).**

* * *

I stared at my phone for a few moments, wondering why the hell Izaya was calling me. I finally sighed and answered, leaning back against the wall. "Hello?"

"Ah, Dotachin!"

I closed my eyes, breathing out. It was all his fault that that damn nickname had stuck with me… "What is it, Izaya-kun?"

"Well, I heard something interesting~" It sounded like he was amused… as usual.

I sighed. "Okay?"

"Word is that you've been hanging around with a certain immigrant."

I rolled my eyes. He should have known that, since Erika, Walker, Saburo, and I helped out Kazutano and the other illegals a lot.

"A certain _Amie Londono_, yes?"

I felt my cheeks heat up slightly. "…What about her?"

"It would appear that she's been kidnapped~"

I pushed away from the wall. "What?!" I demanded, half-wondering if he was shitting me.

"Yes, she has."

_Damn! _

"And I know where she is."

"Tell me _now_!"

"It's an empty warehouse in south Ikkebukurp, where that Yellow Scarves-Blue Squares skirmish happened last year, actually~"

I hung up. "Saburo! Start the van!"

* * *

The door was already partially open when we pulled up, and I wasted no time in getting out of the van. "You guys stay here," I told the others, going over to the door.

I peered into the crack, checking for anyone hanging out by the door. I frowned a bit when I heard how quiet it was, and had to wonder again if Izaya had just been shitting with me… I opened the door all the way, going into the warehouse.

There were only a few people at the platform at the end of the room; they looked up once I entered. I didn't see Amie.

"Where is she?" I demanded.

"What's it to you?"

"Answer the damn question!"

"Who's to say she's still here?"

The distance between us was closing as they gradually approached me. I grit my teeth. If they had actually done anything to her…The thought made me angry and sick at the same time.

"Then where is she?" My patience was wearing thin, and fast.

"In the back."

"Boss said she might be a fun fuck."

Taking a step, I punched the one that had said that. "Don't you DARE touch her, you scumbag!"

"Hey!"

I took a few blows, but they were soon face-down on the floor. I glanced over them, making sure they wouldn't be getting up again, and hurried to the back, quickly opening the door.

Amie was tied to a chair, her back to me, the chair on its side.

"Leave me alone!"

I went around to step into her field of view, kneeling down. "Are you okay?"

"Oh! Kyohei!" She lifted her head a bit to look at me better; there was blood running down the side of her face.

My eyes narrowed. "What did they do to you?"

"Huh?"

"You're bleeding!"

"Oh…" She let out something like a nervous laugh. "That wasn't them. That was me."

"…Huh?"

"I tried to get out, but I fell over and hit my head on the way down."

I stared at her, then chuckled a bit. "I see…" I started to untie her, frowning a bit as I noticed the rope burns on her wrists. I helped her and began to lead her out to the van.

At the entrance of the warehouse, I glanced at her. Following my impulse, I leaned down and kissed her. It didn't last long, but it was soft and sweet. We were both a little red in the face when I pulled away. Finally, holding her hand, I went out to the van, opening the back door.

"I knew it! I _knew_ you had a crush on Londono-chan!" Erika exclaimed the minute the door opened.

I groaned. _Fuck…I'm not going to hear the end of this…_

Amie flushed.

I quietly helped her in and went to climb into the passenger seat.

"Weeeell, Dotachin? Are you going to be a couple now!? "

Instead of answering, I said, "Help her clean up that cut on her forehead."

Erika giggled, turning to Amie, who grimaced at the prospect of sitting still. I just shook my head as the van bumbled away from the warehouse, heading back into town.

"Yeah…" I said finally, closing my eyes. "As long as it's fine with Amie-chan…"

Erika giggled again, excited, and stared at Amie, waiting for an answer.

She smiled, a little embarrassed, and trying not to grin too much. "Y-yeah… I'd like that…"

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you everyone who has read and reviewed this story! If you would like to continue reading it, please look for Part Two. It's not really a sequel, because it is still the same plot line; it is simply a time skip between this chapter and the next story arc.**


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